Product Description

Product Description

The Microtronic Kitchen Scale weighs in both pounds and kilos and measures in precise 1/8 ounce increments. This easy to read 5-pound compact scale automatically adjusts for use with most bowls or containers or can weigh directly onto the platform. It is highly resistant to staining or flavor carry over and has an add weigh feature for convenience of adding individual ingredients using the same bowl while its on the scale. The auto shut off and auto zero feature, an easy to read 0.4" LCD display, 10 year warranty make this scale ideal for dietary or general use.

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English manufacturer Salter understands that the best cooking requires impeccable standards in precision. A slight measurement difference between two and four ounces of minced jalapeno pepper in a recipe can mean disaster. To avoid such mishaps, Salter created this microtronic scale. With its compact size and simple design, users profit by easy storage whether on a countertop or a drawer.

The scale features a round 5-3/4-inch diameter plate upon which to place ingredients. Its careful construction maintains standards in both appearance and flavor, combating residual stains and flavors from previous use. With a handy conversion switch, ingredients may be measured in either the metric or imperial system, enabling cooks to prepare recipes from overseas without rummaging for a calculator. The scale handles quantities weighing up to 5 pounds, marked by the LCD display in 1/8-ounce increments. For the metric system mode, the scale measures with 2-gram increases with up to 2 kilograms capacity. For measurement with bowls or other containers, users need only place the empty container on the scale and press the power button to set the measurement to zero for isolated ingredient weights. The scale also features an automatic zero setting and shutdown, extending the long life of the replaceable lithium batteries. For the best care, wipe down the scale with a damp cloth or a gentle cleanser. Batteries are included with this scale. Salter offers a ten-year warranty on this product. The scale measures 6-3/4 by 7-1/2 by 1-1/2 inches. --Jessica Reuling

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

I love this compact, flat little scale. Living in a very small city apartment with a tiny kitchen, I hang the scale on the wall when I'm not using it -- it has a key-hole shaped hole in the back so it goes right on a wall hook. That keeps it where I can find it in an instant and its low profile means it doesn't protrude when hanging.

Especially great is its simple control design. One button turns it on and zeroes it out. I can put any container on it, such as a bowl, a cup, a measuring pitcher, or a sheet of waxed paper or a paper towel, press the on/zero button and then add the ingredient I'm weighing until I get the desired amount.

One thing I really like is the other button that toggles between grams and ounces. These days, nutrition information on foods is given in set portions on the package -- and the portion size is always accurately given in grams. Therefore, when following the Weight Watchers program and I've decided how much of some dry ingredient I want to consume, I can determine the portion size in grams and weigh it accurately. That's true for something like a frozen dessert -- the weight of a portion of ice cream, for example, reduced fat or otherwise, is easy when spooning it into a bowl on this scale, but to measure 1/2 cup by volume is difficult, and approximate to begin with.

Some other, similar, scales, have a grams/ounces slide switch on the bottom and that makes switching back and forth between grams and ounces a chore. This one does it with one touch.

With recipes, if the weight of dry ingredients is given in ounces or grams, it's way easier and more accurate to weigh them than to try to measure them by volume and this scale makes that process a breeze.Read more ›

I purchased this unit several months ago from a home store. After a few weeks it started acting up. I would turn it on and the numbers would start jumping around randomly before I put anything on it. I would have to remove the batteries and re-insert them to get it to stop, but even that didn't always work. I purchased new batteries, same problem.

I use it all the time and when it works I love it. But there have been times I've been so frustrated at it not working that I've wanted to chuck it against the wall!

I took it back to exchange it and my new one does the same thing. I read in the directions to hold the "on" button until the screen comes on, I do that and it still acts up.

EDIT: I learned it is the microwave that was causing my problem. If there is a microwave nearby running that somehow interferes with the unit and causes the problem I described above. If my microwave is not running it works like a dream. I think Salter should do a better job of informing the customer of this, like a little insert taped to the top of the item that alerts us to the issue, would have saved me time, frustration and gas. I'm taking off one star as it was a major PITA until I figured this out.

Overall this is a fine scale. One "convenient" feature is an auto zero function. If the scale has been tared and the tare weight removed, rather than displaying a negative weight, the scale automatically re-zeros. This may be handy most of the time, but sometimes it's a pain. With my old scale, I could tare a partially filled bowl, remove the bowl from the scale, add more goodies, and place it back on the scale to determine the weight of the additional material. That doesn't work with this scale--it rezeros when a tared weight is removed.

I had a dial type scale before this electronic one and I just LOVE this one so much!! It switches easily from grams to ounces and the read out is immediate and accurate. The best feature is that you can put a bowl or cup on the scale and reset the scale to zero. Then you can add your items and measure just the weight of the item added! If you need to add more items to the same bowl, simply reset to zero again and it will only measure the additional items. No more measuring in one dish and putting it into another. Saves on additional dishes to wash! I am on Weight Watchers and it has made measuring so much easier and more exact. No more guessing if I have a cup of something, I can simply measure the exact gram weight and know I haven't "rounded up" with the traditional measuring cup! This item was definitely worth the money. I LOVE it.

I can understand one bad unit slipping through and into the hands of consumers.

But I'm on my second one now, and it's about to be returned too.

First unit kept turning off while I was measuring ingredients, about 15 minutes out of the box.

Second unit also has a tendency to turn off WHILE MEASURING ingredients. Not good. Ever try fishing out baking powder from flour, since your scale turned off while watching the display INCREASE it's measurements?

So, weigh ingredients seperately as a work around. But now the scale won't tare correctly. Goes from zero to 1 to zero to one on a flat surface. And finally it decided to really go bananas and start hunting and pecking all over the range!

It's being returned for yet another replacement, since I need something this weekend... but I believe I'll be ordering up a different unit and returning this one after I get it.